


Hellbound

by AlexanderRyan



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Canon LGBTQ Character, Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon LGBTQ Male Character, Canon Trans Character, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Romance, Trans, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 13:09:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16347329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexanderRyan/pseuds/AlexanderRyan
Summary: The guides — or grim reapers, as humans tend to call them — are dying one by one. The head guide, King Lucius’s very own sister, has turned up missing. The souls of slain humans cannot be found. The Keeper of the Souls remains absent from her throne.Lucius is at a loss of what to do — that is, until a mysterious stranger is brought to his throne room. The circumstances themselves are strange. A human should not be able to enter the Celestial Realm without first dying, yet this human is somehow tied to the realm. Furthermore, the silence spell put on him is far too advanced for a common guide. Lucius soon discovers this stranger has a connection to his sister and is possibly the only person who may know of her whereabouts.Thus, Lucius teams up with this human in finding his sister. As he dives deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, he realizes it isn’t just simply a matter of finding her. Things are far more complicated, and everything seems to revolve around the human who turned up in his throne room: Angelo.





	1. The Silent Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re confused with any of the terms found below, please feel free to consult the glossary (last chapter) as you read! This story can also be found on tumblr, under the url @hellbound-thestory.

"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

The voice pulled him from his thoughts. His gaze flicked to the woman approaching his throne. He shook his head, a smile playing along his lips, and gestured for his advisor. "No," he said, "I was simply going over some reports." He allowed for the advisor to retrieve the papers from his hand. He beckoned his old friend over. "And to what do I owe this honour, Your Majesty?"

The woman laughed. A smile graced her lips. "Drop the formalities, Lucius. They do not suit you," she said.

A chuckle slipped from Lucius. "Perhaps not..." he agreed, "However, I'm afraid it is becoming more and more of a habit, as of late."

"Pity. Soon I'll be longing for times past. Memories of our childhood, your grand adventures, and trying to outbest Aelo."

A dull ache rose in his chest. A distant memory, tugging at his heart and leaving him yearning... Lucius waved his hand dismissively, as though shooing the thought, his gaze drifting from the woman. "As fond of memories as they are, those days are long behind us." He breathed in and focused his attention back to his fellow royal. "I doubt the reason for your visit is reliving old memories?" he inquired.

The smile fell from her lips. Her brow furrowed in a troubled expression as she folded her hands before her. "Though I would much rather avoid serious topics, you'd be correct. I come bearing troubling news," she informed. She wrung her hands together and pursed her lips. Her eyes flitted about the room, taking in the numbers around her. The advisor, the servants, the maids, the butler in the corner, the other diplomats conversing with military leaders... "I wonder if this would be the place to discuss it. I hope you don't mind vague terms."

Lucius watched her for a brief moment, following her gaze around the room. Each individual was preoccupied with their own discussions, yet he could not be certain; anyone could be eavesdropping under the guise of ignorance. "I suppose," he answered. "Though I could take a walk, if it would ease your mind."

She shook her head. "No. Your people need to be able to easily find you," she said.

"And what a shame that is," was Lucius's immediate answer. He threw her a smirk at the look she gave him, childish mischief twinkling in his eye.

The woman forced a cough to hide the laughter that tried to bubble up, yet it danced in her dark eyes. "Perhaps you haven't changed much at all, Lucius."

He gave her a toothy grin.

The joy was quickly dismissed as she cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Joking aside, I have some additional news concerning the guides. Their numbers continue to dwindle. We still cannot locate the guide of," her eyes flicked skyward as she pondered the word in her mind, "subjective importance."

Lucius frowned. "Creatures of the Veil?" His voice was quiet.

"I wish I knew," she confessed. Her eyes reflected the remorse and concern in her heart. "All I know is of a trail of bodies, humans and guides alike."

Bodies. The word jostled him. Lucius lifted his head from his hand and leaned forward in his chair, unfolding his legs. He beckoned the woman closer. "The guides cannot be killed in the human realm, I thought," he spoke in hushed tones when she grew near.

She breathed in and pursed her lips. "I know..." she whispered. "We do not know why that's changed. The deaths are minimal — the guides are fully capable of protecting themselves in combat — but there are even more disappearances. We can only locate a handful of guides. With so few of them, the Veil is becoming more and more difficult to traverse."

"Which means the journey is growing more and more backed up each day," Lucius surmised.

She nodded. “I’m afraid that isn’t the worst of it.” Her brows furrowed in concern. Fear flashed in her eyes, though only briefly. Her voice was so quiet, Lucius almost mistook it for the breeze dancing among the curtains.

Lucius glanced to the others in the room, until his gaze fell upon his advisor consulting with a visitor by the door. "Caelie," he gestured to the newcomer, "we should discuss this further in private." He hated having to cut the conversation short.

He knew it would weigh heavily on his mind. Try as he might, he could not help but to ponder what news Caelie had in store for him. His thoughts battled between curiosity and concern.

The woman followed his gaze and straightened her posture. She seemed frustrated at first, but after a breath, she nodded in agreement. Her eyes met his. She reached a hand to place upon his shoulder. "Take care of yourself, my dear friend. I cannot lose you, too." She stepped back and unfolded the golden-tipped wings previously folded behind her back. They enveloped her and in a burst of feathers, she disappeared, the feathers fading into bits of lights before reaching the tile.

The king sat back against his throne, rubbing his thumb against his index finger in contemplation. He could only hope that Caelie would return later that night, else he knew he would not get a good night’s sleep.

The thoughts were not allowed to linger. The advisor soon turned his attention back to his king, gave a bow, and addressed him, "King Lucius. General Kazuko wishes to speak with you. I'm afraid it cannot wait."

"Let her in."

"She has a guest."

"If they are of the same party, then they are granted entrance as well." Oh, the things he was sure would be obvious... But, he supposed, it was only a formality.

The advisor bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty." He stepped out of the way and gestured for the visitors to enter.

Lucius recognized one of the two in an instant; a short woman with just as short of hair. While she wasn't the highest of rankings, she occasionally graced his throne room with her presence. She was a woman who had the strength of a thousand men, in both physical and mental fortitude. When she lost her wings to the creatures of the Veil, she refused to cave in. The nurses could barely keep her in the hospital during her healing period.

She appeared to be healthier than that last time he had seen her, despite the bruise on her cheek.

The other one, however... He could not place that one. She stood far shorter than Kazuko, as was the typical height for any human soul brought into the Celestial Realm. Her lack of wings confirmed this further. Her face showed no signs of childish youth. Round, yes, but not undefined. Her piercing gaze stared him down from across the room. A pair of cuffs bound her wrists together.

Kazuko halted a short distance away from the throne, her hand grasping at the stranger's arm. She gave a bow of the head. "King Lucius, thank you for granting an audience with me," she said. Her voice was resolute, unwavering in the face of royalty. "General Kazuko Ikeda of the Eastern Patrol, Second Division.” She lowered her voice to a near whisper. “May I ask that I have an audience in private? I’m afraid it is far too important to talk about here."

"A strange request to be coming from a general," Lucius noted. He was met with a quiet apology, and he waved his hand in dismissal. "No worries. I understand importance."

Caelie’s words echoed in his head. Your people need to be able to easily find you. If she were in the room, he was sure she would scold him. She would call him stubborn and headstrong. She knew full well of his nature, dismissive of those who told him what he should and should not do. Arrogant, she had called him in their youth.

Lucius stood from his throne, dark feathers repositioning themselves behind his back, and clapped his hands to gather the attention from those in the room. Once every set of eyes was upon him, he greeted them with a smile. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but I will return. I wish to take a leisurely walk. If you need me, please send my advisor to the private courtyard."

There were murmurs he could not make out the words to, but he turned his attention from them. He gestured for the two to follow. "Feel free to speak on our way, if you feel comfortable," he said. He walked ahead of them, rounding the throne and exiting through a side door. His heels clicked against the tile and echoed down the corridor beyond.

From behind him, Kazuko spoke, her voice quiet, "I was patrolling the eastern border, just along the furthest reaches of the Veil, when I found this one wandering."

That would not be enough to warrant a meeting with the king, Lucius was sure. "I assume there is more to this story?" he questioned, casting a glance to her as he gestured for her to walk beside him.

Kazuko nodded, picking up her pace to match that of Lucius’s. "I tried to ask her name. She would not answer. It seems she cannot speak, but she refuses to communicate in other ways," she explained, "I tried to take her into custody, and she gave me a souvenir for it." She pointed to the bruise on her cheek.

Lucius almost laughed. He looked to the woman on the other side of Kazuko.

Her shoulders were tense and her brows furrowed. She seemed to be seething in anger, lips twisted into a deep frown. She tensed under the king's gaze, yet she did not try to make herself look smaller. Instead, she stood up straighter and squared her shoulders. She appeared to have no interest in her surroundings. It stirred Lucius's curiosity.

Lucius focused his attention back to Kazuko. "Forgive me for asking, General, but was there a reason for the strike?" he asked. He stopped before a large wooden door at the end of the corridor and swung it open, gesturing for the other two to step through before him.

The sound of water reached his ears as he entered the courtyard. The sun shone down through the open roof, glistening off the dancing water of the fountain in the centre. He strolled on down the pebbled pathway cutting through the lush grass, his strides steady.

Kazuko's lips twitched in a thinly veiled smile. "Perhaps I hadn't been explicit in my intentions. Creatures of the Veil were approaching—”

“Creatures of the Veil?” He placed himself upon one of the stone benches near the fountain, gesturing for them to sit upon the other one. “Inside our borders?”

“Yes. That’s why I deemed it important enough to talk to you in private,” Kazuko said as she placed both herself and the stranger upon the bench. “I had no time to properly explain to her about the danger. I did not want to frighten her beyond what she already was."

"She does not look frightened."

"Fear can manifest in the strangest of ways, Your Majesty. Best not to feed it when you cannot see it."

"Fair enough." Lucius looked once again to the stranger. She was trembling, her hands balled into tight fists. There was something familiar about the energy resonating from her. "Tell me," he addressed the stranger, "is it natural for you to be unable to speak?"

The stranger breathed a silent sigh of relief. She shook her head, her lips parting in unspoken words as she put her cuffed hands to her throat.

"May I have a look? I promise it is not my intention to hurt you."

She straightened, sucking in a breath. Her eyes warily scrutinized him. After a brief moment, she lifted herself from the bench and took a step toward the king.

Kazuko tried to follow suite, but the king stopped her with the raise of a hand, his palm toward her.

Lucius quietly thanked the stranger. It was rather amusing, he mused as she came closer, just the difference between a human and a Celestial. Since the day he had taken the throne, he rarely saw to the souls himself. It was not his job. He easily towered over her, he noted, if he were to stand. Thus, he remained seated, sitting up straight to take a good look at her neck, where he was suspicious the energy resonated from.

He placed his hands at either side of her jaw, tilting it from side to side. He studied her skin as his eyes searched for the source of the energy. It did not come from inside her, he confirmed; it came from an outside source, placed upon her. It hummed and resonated with his own. "Up." He tilted her head upward, so he could get a better look at her neck.

There it was. He found the source of the energy, the faint glow barely noticeable to the untrained eye. He pressed two fingers against it and drew it out from her. "There. Now she'll be able to speak." He sat back on his bench, toying with the spell in his fingers. "She had a silence spell placed upon her, an intricate one. I doubt it was cast with the intention of being found easily."

Upon hearing the stranger's voice stuttering and croaking, Lucius smiled to her. "Relax. The effects will linger as the magic fades. I removed the spell, but the magic still needs to dissipate." He gestured for her to sit down with Kazuko once more.

She was guided away by Kazuko, returning to the more respectful distance of the bench. Annoyance sparked anew in her eyes as she breathed out a heavy sigh.

Lucius returned his attention to the spell. "The spell placed on her was one of... guide origin. She had a run in with one of our guides, it seems. A lost soul?" he mused. "That would explain why the creatures of the Veil would be after her. They seem to have an insatiable appetite for human souls." He ignored the frustrated croaks of the stranger, assuming that she was only trying to test the effects of the spell.

He hummed in contemplation. Suspicion welling up within him, he studied the spell. The more he studied it, the more he recognized it. He had learned this kind of spell in his youth. Though he had forgotten how to cast it long ago, he knew it was a popular spell among the guides. A silence spell this powerful, so carefully hidden… There were very few who could cast such an intricate spell, when it was specifically cast to be found by other guides. The higher ranking guides knew how to; whether or not they could succeed at such a high level was another matter. Only the head guide could efficiently master the spell to its full potential.

Then it clicked into place. "Leilani." His eyes snapped up, and he leaned forward, brows furrowed. "Your guide was Leilani?"

The stranger's lips parted, and she shook her head, strangled noises coming from her throat. "Wh...r...you...ta...king...about?"

Lucius sighed. He tried to not grow impatient. "Leilani. Your guide after you died. Guided you through the Veil, protected you from the creatures?" he spoke quickly. He was met with a bewildered expression.

The stranger shook her head. "I'm...not...de...dead." She struggled to speak the words, but the magic had all but faded now.

Lucius battled between confusion and lack of patience. There were two more mysteries to be solved: the stranger claiming they weren't dead, and his sister's silence spell placed upon her. "There would be no other reason for a guide to come to you," he said, "I know it's difficult to come to terms with it; I can't help you with that. The guides are more knowledgeable in that than I. But I need you to answer me this."

He held up the spell, barely gave her a chance to speak. "The person who guided you through the Veil. She put this spell on you. Her name is Leilani. Long hair, probably in a ponytail? Really short? Shorter than you in the human realm, about the same height as General Kazuko in the Celestial Realm?"

The stranger huffed in agitation, tossing her head. "She ki...kicked me in the he...head!" Her fingers curled and uncurled, thumb rubbing against her pointer fingers in annoyance. "I was ty...ing my shoes. And she came up and kicked me in the...head! Next thing I know, I woke up here!"

Lucius was baffled. He looked to the spell, then to the stranger, then to the spell again. It didn't make sense. Guides were to only put spells on those they brought through the Veil. They weren't even supposed to interact with the humans if their time hadn't come! "This can't be right. Leilani would have a reason for this," he said. He stood from the bench and found himself pacing, studying the spell in his hands. There had to be more to this he wasn't seeing.

He focused back to the stranger. “You just may be the last one who saw my sister,” he spoke quickly, “I was given news of her disappearance months ago. And as fate would have it, you walk through my door with a connection to Leilani, and furthermore claim that she had no reason for placing such a high level spell on you.”

Lucius looked to Kazuko. "You found her near the Veil, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"The creatures were after her?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Did you check her for the Mark of the Deceased?"

"No, Your Majesty."

Lucius dismissed the spell and stood closer to the stranger. "Please hold still. I will not hurt you," he told the stranger. He placed his fingers upon her forehead and searched through her soul. He knew exactly where to look; he had done it a million times before. His lips drew into a thin line, and he withdrew his hand. "She doesn't have it. She's not dead. Just what is going on...?"

Yet, despite her lack of the Mark, there was something else. He could sense a connection to the realm of the Celestials. Typically, upon death, the soul would be marked for collection by the seekers. They kept a watchful eye on those destined to pass and marked the departed souls for the Celestials to care for until reincarnation. Those that had been reborn as Celestials lacked this mark, though they still carried its magical remnants, as though stained by its magic.

She was neither part of the living nor part of the dead.

He stepped away from the stranger. "I have no choice but to believe you," he said, "But keep in mind it might be with great wariness." He turned his attention to Kazuko and straightened his posture. "Please see that she is escorted to a comfortable room. She may wander among the palace grounds, but I ask that she does not leave. I appoint you as both her bodyguard and ward." That was the best he could do until he had time to properly sort out the plethora of new information.

Kazuko bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. I accept the task with gratitude," she answered.

Lucius glanced to the stranger. "And please remove her cuffs. She is not a prisoner here."

"Goddamnit, enough of this!" the stranger shouted and shot up from the bench. The stranger stood directly in front of Lucius, glowering up at him. "Excuse me _Your Majesty_ but seeing as how you can't be damned to have even a shred of manners, my name is Angelo Ortega and I demand to know what the _fuck_ is going on!" His stance did not waver as his body trembled with barely contained rage. A fire burned in his eyes, a fire Lucius had seen directed to him only once before in his lifetime.

Fear was not present.


	2. Glossary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This page is separated by sections. If you know the term you’re looking for, please feel free to use CTRL+F!

**PEOPLE**

> **Souls  
>  ** Home: All realms
> 
> The spirits of all humans. The soul goes through many periods of birth and rebirth, until the soul has learned the lessons that life has to offer them. These lessons are learned throughout many lifetimes and may not be remembered in a soul’s current life. Upon death, a soul will be marked with a Mark of the Dead/Deceased by a Keeper. They are then collected by a guide, who will lead them through The Veil.
> 
> Souls can be born and they can die.
> 
>  
> 
> **Humans**  
>  Home: Human Realm
> 
> A soul in its life. Some humans are sensitive to Celestials and spirits. They are unable to traverse the realms on their own. A human can only do so with the help of another who has the ability to bestow it upon them, though there are only rumours of this happening.
> 
> The first recorded instance was recently, with the appearance of Angelo in the Celestial Realm.
> 
>  
> 
> **Celestials**  
>  Home: Celestial Realm, Timeless Realm  
>  Alias: Angels
> 
> If a soul has learned the lessons of life, it is granted a resting period in the Kingdom of the Resting. A soul can then choose to be reborn in the Human Realm to start life anew or to be reborn as a Celestial. However, if a soul is reborn as a Celestial, it will not have another chance at life. Once a Celestial has died, their energy dissipates back into life force that binds the worlds together. That energy can then be reformed into a new soul.
> 
> The process is still highly speculated, though there are legends of a higher power, much like the religions of the Human Realm.
> 
> Celestials can have many duties, and have built kingdoms centred around their king, queen, or ruler. Some Celestials are merchants, others soldiers, and yet others teachers. It is just as diverse as the Human Realm. All Celestials have wings sprouting from their backs, their feathers differing from Celestial to Celestial.
> 
>  
> 
> **Seekers**  
>  Home: Timeless Realm
> 
> When a human has died and their soul departs their vessel, they are marked by a seeker. Seekers, working directly under the command of the Keeper as a separate faction than the guides, spend their time following souls who will soon have to traverse The Veil. Once they have marked the soul for death, they move on to the next one. They do not decide who lives or dies; they simply mark them for collection.
> 
> They are smaller in numbers than the guides and usually do not have any battle skills.
> 
>  
> 
> **Guides**  
>  Home: Timeless Realm  
>  Alias: Reapers, grim reapers
> 
> Guides are Celestials who have either chosen or been appointed as the protectors and guides of deceased souls in their journey through The Veil.
> 
> The Mark of the Deceased calls to the guides and leads them to the departed soul. It is a magical bond that calls to them specifically, much like a beacon. They work as a separate faction than the seekers under the orders of the Keeper. They are extremely skilled fighters, having trained their entire Celestial life. Their magical skill varies from guide to guide.
> 
> Guides are immune to the passing of time in the Human Realm, unless banished. Likewise, they are incapable of dying outside of the Celestial and Timeless Realms - until now.
> 
> The head guide is the leader of the guides. They are the most powerful of the guides, often leading large numbers of souls through The Veil. They are under the direct command of the Keeper.
> 
>  
> 
> **Royals**  
>  Home: Celestial Realm
> 
> Royals are a special kind of Celestials. They, like the Keeper, have been chosen to rule over their designated Kingdom, whether it be the Kingdom of the Learning or the Kingdom of the Resting. Royals bear a mark on their cheek, brought to them by the mark within them. They can easily lose this mark, just as they can gain one as they grow older. Most royals serve a lifetime on the throne. Only on very rare occasions has a royal lost their mark.

 

**REALMS**

> **Human Realm**
> 
> The Human Realm is considered the realm of the mortals, or of the living. It is where souls venture in order to learn the lessons of life. It is full of violence, decay, and turmoil. But along with that, it has a perfect balance of purity, joy, and hope. The promise of the freedom to choose one’s own path is very tempting to a soul wishing to be reborn.
> 
> The Human Realm is considered the Celestial Realm’s opposite, much like two sides of the same coin. It moves at a speed that is four times faster than the Celestial Realm. This means that if four years have passed in the Human Realm, then a year has passed in the Celestial Realm.
> 
>  
> 
> **Celestial Realm**
> 
> The realm where the Celestials and souls reside. Its residents are just as diverse as the Human Realm, though it is more peaceful due to the silent force that feeds into the realm. Some believe it to be a higher being, while others will argue that it simply due to the magic flowing through the realms.
> 
> The Celestial Realm is the home of the Kingdom of the Resting and the Kingdom of the Learning. Each Kingdom has its own sprawling city, with foliage and rivers surrounding both. It is rumoured there is more to the realm beyond the trees, though none have ventured far enough in fear of wandering into The Veil.
> 
> The Celestial Realm is considered the Human Realm’s opposite, much like two sides of the same coin. It moves at a speed that is four times slower than the Human Realm. This means that if a year has passed in the Celestial Realm, then four years have passed in the Human Realm.
> 
>  
> 
> **The Veil**
> 
> A layer of magical “lining” that borders all realms and keeps them from blending with each other. While The Veil is weak and thin in some places, thus leading to the “bleeding” of realms, it is vast and winding in others. Those who dare to traverse this sprawling land of magic are often guided by the guides, or have traversed it many times themselves. The Veil itself looks as though it is a sprawling land of darkness, as far as the eye can see. It is easy to get lost within, and many souls have been lost on their journey.
> 
> Only the royals know how to “jump” from realm to realm without the use of The Veil. A royal can jump with one or two other people, and the power cannot be used in quick succession.
> 
> While creatures have always roamed The Veil, they are starting to grow more and more in number - and with much more power as well.

 

**KINGDOMS**

> **Kingdom of the Learning**  
>  Alias: Hell  
>  Location: Celestial Realm  
>  Ruler: King Lucius
> 
> If a soul has not learned the lessons of life, they are sent to the Kingdom of the Learning. Many humans believe this to be a terrible place of fire and flame, but it is not. It looks very similar to the Kingdom of the Waiting, with a sprawling city, lush vegetation, and day and night cycles. Souls stay here to reflect on their past lives - especially the one they just ventured through. As soon as they are believed to be ready for human life once again, the souls are sent off to be reborn.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank this chapter’s beta readers for reading through the chapter, and suggesting corrections. Thank you so much!
> 
> Beta readers: Avi, Samia, James, Len, and Key Grimm


End file.
